Two Maltese officer-cadets sprung joint marriage proposals on their girlfriends at a graduation ceremony in Ireland.

Second Lieutenant Neil Spiteri, 30, from Gudja, and Second Lieutenant Aaron Zammit, 24, from Swieqi, had been planning the double surprise for months to coincide with leaving Dublin.

The two Armed Forces of Malta officers got down on bended knee in front of their girlfriends and hundreds of fellow officers on Thursday.

The men were among six Maltese recruits who had been training at the Irish Cadet School for the past 17 months.

Their girlfriends, Nadesh Barbara, 27, and Amy Zammit, 20, were in shock when the men got down on bended knee in front of hundreds of fellow officers and their families. Both women said yes.

Lieutenant Zammit said he wanted to give his now fiancée the special proposal to thank her for her support during their long distance relationship.

“I couldn’t have completed the course without her, so I wanted to include her and thank her in this special way,” he told Times of Malta.

“We were apart for almost a year-and-a-half while I was in Ireland she was in Malta, so I wanted her to know how much I appreciated her.”

Thursday’s ceremony was held at Dublin Castle and was the biggest in the history of the state with 91 cadets becoming commissioned officers.

The couples were due to fly back to Malta today and contrary to their public surprise proposal, plan a low key celebration with their families.

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